ALLERGIC REACTION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does allergic reaction mean? 

• ALLERGIC REACTION (noun)
  The noun ALLERGIC REACTION has 1 sense:

1. hypersensitivity reaction to a particular allergen; symptoms can vary greatly in intensity

  Familiarity information: ALLERGIC REACTION used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ALLERGIC REACTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hypersensitivity reaction to a particular allergen; symptoms can vary greatly in intensity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

allergic reaction; allergy

Hypernyms ("allergic reaction" is a kind of...):

hypersensitivity reaction (an inappropriate and excessive reaction to an allergen (as pollen or dust or animal hair or certain foods); severity ranges from mild allergy to severe systemic reactions leading to anaphylactic shock)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "allergic reaction"):

food allergy (allergic reaction to a substance ingested in food)

atopic allergy; atopy; immediate allergy; type I allergic reaction (an allergic reaction that becomes apparent in a sensitized person only minutes after contact)

serum disease; serum sickness (a delayed allergic reaction to the injection of an antiserum caused by an antibody reaction to an antigen in the donor serum)

delayed allergy; type IV allergic reaction (an allergic reaction that becomes apparent only hours after contact)

 Context examples 

Eosinophils are leukocytes involved in inflammatory responses that defend against parasites and cause some aspects of asthma, allergic reactions, and perhaps autoimmune disorders.

(IL5 Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

It is also commonly used in a regimen to prevent allergic reactions.

(Cimetidine, NCI Dictionary)

Allergic reactions cause your body to release chemicals that can make your skin swell up in hives.

(Hives, NIH)

This prevents mast cell degranulation, resulting in mast cell stabilization and inhibition of the release of inflammatory mediators, such as histamine and leukotrienes, which are involved in type I allergic reactions.

(Cromolyn, NCI Thesaurus)

Eosinophils are a key class of leukocytes involved in inflammatory responses, including allergic reactions in skin and airway.

(CCR3 Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This diminishes the actions of histamine on effector cells and decreases the histamine-mediated symptoms of allergic reaction such as bronchoconstriction, vasodilation, increased capillary permeability and spasmodic contractions of gastrointestinal smooth muscle.

(Brompheniramine Maleate, NCI Thesaurus)

Containing natural or synthetic agents, Asthma Preparations relieve asthma (a recurrent airway obstruction) in various ways by reducing bronchial spasm, dyspnea, allergic reaction, local inflammation, and pain.

(Asthma Preparation, NCI Thesaurus)

Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions or asthma attacks in sensitive people.

(Molds, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

A type of immune cell that has granules (small particles) with enzymes that are released during allergic reactions and asthma.

(Basophil, NCI Dictionary)

An unusual presentation of schistosomiasis characterized by a pruritic papular rash in the perigenital or periumbilical area due to an allergic reaction to schistosoma eggs deposited in the skin.

(Cutaneous Schistosomiasis, NCI Thesaurus)